By Toba Adesunmiboye
During a high-level consultative meeting with the Owa Obokun Adimula and Paramount Ruler of Ijesaland, Owa Clement Adesuyi Haastrup (Owa Ajimoko III), Prince Sunday Adewusi presented an extensive briefing on the proposal for the Ijesa Youth Development Centre.
He outlined, in clear detail, the series of strategic engagements and groundwork already undertaken by himself and other critical stakeholders within the Ijesa Youth Development Foundation to ensure the successful materialisation of the centre.
Kabiyesi, while commending the vision, ambition, and transformative potential of the project, explained that he is currently presiding over several monumental development undertakings including the Ijesa China Town, the University of Ilesa Hostel Construction, and the expansive Ijesaland Agricultural Development Project Ltd, a modern agricultural value-chain initiative situated on approximately three thousand hectares along the Ilesa–Akure highway. These projects collectively form a cornerstone of his broader agenda for economic renewal, job creation, youth empowerment, and sustainable development across Ijesaland.
Despite these major commitments, Kabiyesi declared his full moral support for the Youth Development Centre and emphasised the need for Ijesas, particularly those in the diaspora, to align with and invest in the initiative. He encouraged socio-cultural organisations, including the Legbelegbes, to adopt and execute specific components of the project, stressing that any group that contributes meaningfully to the development of the centre will have its name inscribed permanently in the annals of Ijesa history.
The meeting also explored the proposal for Ijesa Day celebrations in Lagos, London, and Ilesa. Prince Sunday Adewusi highlighted that aside from the annual Iwude Ijesa Festival, the kingdom lacks a unified celebratory period that brings Ijesas at home and abroad together to honour their shared heritage. Kabiyesi applauded the concept and noted that further high-level deliberations would be held.
Prince Sunday Adewusi emphasised the importance of choosing dates that align with periods when Owa Clement Adesuyi Haastrup may be present in London or Lagos to ensure a coordinated and successful celebration.
Prince Sunday Adewusi expressed profound appreciation to the Owa Obokun Adimula and Paramount Ruler of Ijesaland for granting him audience.
He reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to supporting Kabiyesi’s progressive, far-reaching, and historic developmental agenda aimed at the holistic advancement and continued renaissance of Ijesaland.
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